About

#Renewables4Climate is a global initiative to raise awareness about renewable energy as a key solution to climate change. By 2050, renewable energy and energy efficiency can provide over 90% of energy-related CO2 emission reductions required to reach the objective of the Paris Agreement. However, urgent action is needed to accelerate progress.

This website provides an overview of all renewables-related events happening at COP24. If your organization is holding an event at COP24 and you would like it to be featured here, please fill out the form below.

#Renewables4Climate is an initiative of the IRENA Coalition for Action. The Coalition is coordinated by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), an intergovernmental organization that supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future.

Economic Diversification as a channel for low carbon development and green growth

When: 13:15 – 14:45, 04 December 2018
Where: Narew Room, COP Venue

The Paris Agreement has been a major milestone where Parties have pledged their Nationally determined contribution towards strengthening low-carbon economic development. As countries embark on its journey, economic diversification plays a significant role and drives countries towards a sustainable growth pathway. This event provides an overview on drivers for economic diversifications, benefits and will showcase different support available to countries. The side event will also showcase examples on how countries are implementing climate policies with the aim of diversifying their economies to ensure low carbon growth.

Renewable Energy for Cities: Achieving the 1.5°C goal

When: 16:30 – 18:00, 04 December 2018
Where: WWF Pavilion

This joint REN21 and WWF event will look at the leading role cities and non-state actors can play in achieving the dual goal of achieving 1.5 °C and driving the energy transition with renewables.
Local governments have legislative and purchasing power that they can use to implement change in their own operations, in the wider community and ultimately push for change at regional and national level. With such capacity, local governments can become beacons for change in their region or country, demonstrating the effectiveness of policies and local action to reach the 1.5C objective. Non-state actors can support these initiatives through mobilising citizen engagement.

December 6

EmPower Citizens with Facts on Climate Change & Europe

When: 12:30 – 14:00, 06 December 2018
Where: EU Pavilion, Vienna Room

ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, representing 43 TSOs from 36 European countries, will present a brand-new barometer of Europe’s energy transition: Power Facts Europe. This new reference publication to empower citizens on climate change & Europe collects a series of hard facts on Europe's electricity system looking at sustainability, market and security of supply and extending to three new dimensions: customer, infrastructure and digital grids.
ENTSO-E will also present other data-based publications, including its Ten-Year Network Development Plan and the ENTSOs scenarios for Europe’s energy future.

Climate Membership for Youth

When: 14:15 – 15:00, 06 December 2018
Where: UAE/KSA/Kuwait Pavilion

The UAE Ministry of Climate Change & Environment (MoCCAE) and the Youth Climate Lab (YCL) will be hosting a youth dialogue on the sidelines of the COP24 to highlight the progress of the Youth Climate Mentorship Program that was launched at COP23 to raise awareness of youth engagement within international climate negotiations and national climate change related policy development processes and increase youth capacity that will encourage the role of youth in delivering the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This dialogue will give partner governments and international organizations, an opportunity to explore some of the effective endeavors and engagement options with youth representatives. A special focus will be on the Climate Membership for Youth and the successful methods that create a positive social impacts and contribute to delivery of the Paris Climate Agreement and SDGs.

ENTSO-E, ENTSOG and RGI on collaborative grid planning

RGI, ENTSO-E and ENTSOG are jointly hosting a dinner discussion on grid planning in collaboration with NGOs to reach the climate targets and implement the Paris Agreement. Electricity and gas networks play a major role in enabling and sustaining the transformation of the energy system. The planning of the grid infrastructure needs to reflect the decarbonisation requirements to ensure that the Paris Agreement will be implemented. ENTSO-E and ENTSOG, being mandated to the delivery of the Ten-Year Network Development Plans (TYNDP) have developed a collaborative process together with stakeholders, specifically with the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) and climate NGOs. The project aims at developing a Paris Agreement-compliant scenario and thus provides input to the European Ten-Year Network Development Plans (TYNDP).
At our event, we will present our collaborative approach and discuss different views and storylines that can deliver an energy infrastructure which is fit for the future.
The event will be jointly hosted by ENTSO-E, ENTSO-G and RGI with contributions from the Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and REN21.
Dinner and drinks will be served. If you are interested in joining, please get in touch with johanna@renewables-grid.eu.

December 7

Strong voices from the South: how media can enhance sustainable development while combating climate change

When: 10:30 – 11:30, 07 December 2018
Where: UN Desa Pavilion

This session invites journalists from Malawi, Zimbabwe and Nepal that report on issues like clean cooking, deforestation, the extraction of fossil fuels and the uptake of decentralized renewable energy. They will share their experiences with writing about the topic and the way they have contributed to the debates on climate action.
Among the speakers are award winning journalist James Chavula (Zimbabwe); Sylvie Bassono, Programme Nationale de Digesteur (Burkina Faso); and Sushma KC Shresta, news anchor and program producer (Nepal).

The Constraints and Challenges of Private Sector in Financing RE Projects

This session is expected to discuss challenges facing private sector in financing renewable energy projects. More specifically, it will cover trends in renewable energy and factors affecting the private sector involvement in the RE.

December 8

The energy sector is changing at an unparalleled speed and is reshaping economies, societies and markets. The momentum is accelerating, but a decisive shift is at an early stage. This session will discuss where we are today, what are the priorities for action and how we plan for their realization.

Cross-cutting Round Table on Climate Finance

When: 13:15 – 14:45, 08 December 2018
Where: Action Room 2

The institutional investment and banking sector i.e. capital markets are essential for the successful implementation of Article 2.1c of the Paris Agreementi which requires that investment and finance shall be consistent with a pathway towards low GHG emissions and climate-resilient development. The event, which bridges the interface of climate change and the financial system, will look at opportunities within the Marrakech Partnership thematic areas (Human Settlements, Industry, Energy, Land Use, Oceans and Coastal Zones, Transport and Water) for impact and consistency with the Paris Agreement, and to seek ways to rapidly scale-up investment to meet nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

Pioneering technologies to run the world without consuming the earth - Visit of ABB corporate research center

When: 13:15 – 17:45, 08 December 2018
Where: Krakow, Poland

ABB contributes to climate goals with pioneering technologies that enable utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure customers to deploy clean energy and improve energy efficiency.
As it happens, one such innovation is already catching on around the world which was invented only a short distance east of Katowice, in Krakow, Poland. Here, at the ABB Corporate Research Center, engineers devised a patented technique for recovering the energy that would otherwise be lost every time an electric tram, train or subway car brakes to a stop. The energy, captured and converted back into electric power, has cut the electricity consumed by light rail and subway systems by up to 30 percent where the system has been adopted.
ABB would like to invite you plus one colleague to join a small and select group of ABB stakeholders on Saturday 8th December to visit our Krakow Research Centre and join a highly interactive lab tour to experience the following innovations:
• Energy recuperation and storage in traction applications
• eBus charging solutions
• Power and distribution grid solutions
• Embedded intelligence and analytics
• Low Voltage for lower energy consumption
We will organize transport to and from COP24, planning to leave at 13.15 and returning at 17.45
Please RSVP to Valerie Kvita by Wednesday 5th December

Parliamentary Meeting on the Occasion of the UN Climaet Change Conference (COP24)

The IPU and the Polish Sejm will organize a Parliamentary Meeting on the occasion of the Climate Change Conference. The Meeting will be held with a view to providing parliamentarians with an opportunity to obtain first-hand information on the main issues and orientations of COP24, interact with experts and negotiators directly involved in the UNFCCC decision-making process, gain better knowledge of the recommendations included in the IPU's Parliamentary Action Plan on Climate Change and discuss ways of ensuring implementation of the Paris Agreement.

December 10

The session will focus on how to address the barriers, such as the lack of adequate finance, that hamper the uptake of off-grid and mini-grid renewable energy solutions. New research by IIED on public climate finance and aggregation of finance will be discussed as well as experience of Lithuania on climate finance for renewable energy.
Speakers include Lina Ceicyte, Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania;
Felice Zaccheo, Head Sustainable Energy and Climate Change at DG International Cooperation & Development, European Commission; and Alliance for Rural Electrification.

Shifting to a Low Carbon Economy. Just transition pathways in the Energy Community and beyond

A dynamic discussion to identify and understand the trade-offs required for the sustainable management of energy, land use and water to meet mitigation and adaptation goals. Including identifying the potential synergies and co-benefits when managed in a more integrated, robust and flexible manner.

ICEF and New Scenario Explorer for IPCC SR1.5: Initiatives showing the way towards net-zero CO2 emissions

When: 16:45 – 18:15, 10 December 2018
Where: Warmia

The event highlights two parts:
1) ICEF features technological and business innovations (incl. direct air capture of carbon dioxide) for achieving net-zero CO2 emissions.
2) The IIASA presentation of the IAMC 1.5°C Scenario Explorer, an interactive tool for full access to the scenarios of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C .

December 11

World Climate Summit Renewable Energy Day

Renewable Energy Day will showcase how innovation is creating opportunities for an accelerated transition towards renewable-powered, low-carbon, energy system around the world that can deliver on the Paris Climate goals; and will explore how the resulting profound changes will impact on countries, regions and communities and how to ensure the cost and benefits are born and shared fairly and to ensure that non-one is left behind.

Inclusive policy and finance for sustainable energy access

When: 16:30 – 18:00, 11 December 2018
Where: AfDB Pavilion

Panelists and discussants will discuss different approaches to channeling financing to where it is needed and in the form that is needed (e.g., financial instrument, terms of financing), as well as policy and institutional changes to scale-up finance and reach local (women) entrepreneurs. In order to scale-up deployment as well as to maximize the socio-economic benefits of off-grid renewable energy solutions.
Among the speakers are Minister Kaag - Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, The Netherlands; Amadou Hott –Vice President for Power, Energy Climate and Green Growth, AfDB; Tareq Emtairah- Director of the Energy Department, UNIDO; Keriako Tobiko - Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Government of the Republic of Kenya (tbc); Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven - Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Government of the Federal Republic of Germany; Tosi Mpanu Mpanu– Vice-chair LDC REEEI , board member GCF, Democratic Republic of Congo.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, over 600 million people still lack access to modern energy. Off-grid clean energy technology has the potential to provide many of these people with grid-like energy services quickly and affordably, but this technology is mostly provided by private companies that are struggling to reach scale.
The Beyond the Grid Fund for Zambia (BGFZ), a $22 million facility funded by the Government of Sweden and implemented by REEEP, is well on its way to helping 1.6 million Zambians gain access to clean, affordable and reliable electricity by 2021 – over 335,000 beneficiaries have been reached in its first 15 months of operation. This innovative and successful financing mechanism is now about to be expanded to three additional countries, in addition to a scale up within Zambia.
At this side event, representatives of the Governments of Zambia and Sweden, REEEP and NEFCO will present the BGFZ and the planned expansion - Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa (BGFA) - within the framework of Sweden’s general Energy Sector Development cooperation with countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Taking Action to Raise Climate Ambition in LDCs and SIDS through NDC and Long-Term Strategies

When: 18:30 – 20:00, 11 December 2018
Where: NDC Partnership Pavilion

IRENA, together with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the African Development
Bank (AfDB), will co-organise an event that aims at raising climate ambition in Least
Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) through NDCs and
Long-Term Strategies. The event will highlight experiences and approaches adopted by LDCs
and SIDS with the setting of a low emission development strategy target, action planning in
renewable energy and other sectors, and project financing. The United Nations Office of the
High Representative for the Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Developing Countries
and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) will also contribute to the discussion.

December 12

In order to achieve “net zero emission”, which is the long term goal of the Paris Agreement, we need innovative initiatives such as introduction of the renewable energy on a massive scale, decarbonization, and efficient and effective transfer of climate technology to the emerging nations.
This event features three topics; 1) Off-shore wind power as a large scale introduction and deployment of the renewable energy, 2) Special countermeasures to stabilize the grid condition against the variable load caused by the penetration of wind power, 3) Address and efforts in hydrogen technology, which enables to store, carry and use renewable energies without emitting carbon dioxide (CO2) , and can be a key to energy security and measures against climate change, and 4) Effective and efficient approaches to encourage energy efficiency and conservation in emerging nations closely linked with their own policies and programs.
We share our experiences and ideas, then propose how we can get there.

The Investment COP 2018 will be a full day programme and include the following elements:
• Best practice examples of mechanisms that allow countries to operationalize NDC implementation ‘project by project’ through private sector participation;
• Facilitative dialogues on structured finance and creating an enabling investment environment;
• Private sector discussion on technology and finance solutions to engage in implementation of climate actions in developing countries;
• Negotiation sessions between countries, investors, and technology solution providers.

Participants from climate vulnerable countries will discuss how they can achieve energy decarbonisation through enhanced deployment of renewables and what socio-economic benefits the deployment can bring to these countries. Speakers will be Ministers and senior Government officials from climate vulnerable countries such as the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, Costa Rica and Ethiopia (to be confirmed).

Delivering Renewables at Scale: A must to meet the Paris Agreement

When: 16:45 – 18:15, 12 December 2018
Where: Side Event Room: Warmia

We know that renewables can contribute to decarbonisation. What we are still struggling with is how to achieve the scale necessary to remain below 1.5C It’s clear that we need to reframe the narrative so as to engage governments and financial institutions to support an exponential increase in renewable energy deployment To do this we need to: know where we stand (status) understand what is possible (lesson learnt) provide compelling examples of success to mobilise resources (drivers) This event will debate what it takes to get the resources necessary for this exponential increase. The idea is to create a productive tension to change the thinking about getting renewables to scale.
This official side event is co-hosted by REN21, World Future Council and the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies

December 13

Climate Neutral Futures – examples of islands and ambitions of the Nordic region

When: 10:15 – 11:30, 13 December 2018
Where: Nordic COP24 Pavilion

This event will introduce the climate neutral ambitions of the Nordic region focusing on good examples from islands aiming at becoming climate neutral, and lastly a panel discussion between Representatives from the islands and Nordic politicians, on how we together can best obtain our common climate neutral ambitions.

Driving the Energy Transition through Innovation

Aligned with the priorities of the Polish Presidency for COP24, IRENA will organise a discussion
about innovation of the energy transition with a strong focus on electric mobility. The
electrification of the transport sector presents an opportunity for the broader introduction of
renewables into the transport sector, becoming an increasingly competitive option for clean
transport. This event will provide an opportunity for the speakers to engage with the audience
on the growth potential of electric vehicles (EV), the benefits of EV’s and the challenges to
overcome.